Drivers urged to take care on North East roads as rain causes delays

Verity Ward

Motorists are being urged to take care as roads in the region are affected by torrential rain.

There’s been slight delays on the A19 today after a crash happened southbound at the B1320 Burnhope Way junction, Peterlee, at 5.10am.

Lack of visibility due to fog and mist is also making driving conditions difficult.

A spokesman for Durham Police said: “A Peugeot 207 was involved in an incident at 5.10am today. However, the road is now back open.”

The Met Officeis predicting that the wet weather will continue for the rest of the week, with only Thursday set to be slightly drier.

Bookmaker Coral said it had cut the odds on July being the wettest on record to 2-1 (from 6-1) following reports that more rain is forecast for the rest of the month.

The firm has taken a flurry of bets on this July breaking any previous figure, while also seeing support for 2015 being the wettest year on record, which is now available at 5-2 (from 4-1).

“We’ve seen money come flooding in all week for July being the wettest on record as punters have obviously been keeping a close eye on weather forecasts which all suggest we are set for more rain at the back end of the month,” said Coral’s John Hill.

“At the start of this summer, we saw a lot of money for this year being the hottest since history books began. However, all the bets coming in now are for 2015 being the wettest on record,” he added.